Posted By The Finsiders On June 25, 2012 @ 9:15 am In Football | 12 Comments

[1]The Dolphins are one of the few teams that will have a true quarterback competition last well into training camp.

Each of the participants–Matt Moore[2], David Garrard[3]and Ryan Tannehill[4]–joined The Finsiders during last week’s three-day mini-camp to talk about the state of the quarterback competition.

For Moore, the incumbent, it’s almost as if his successful late-season run didn’t happen because he’ll need to impress a whole new coaching staff. Now, too, there are two new quarterbacks fighting for what was his spot. Moore said, though, no matter what the external perception may be, he has no ill will towards his fellow competitors.

“People want to make it out to be this soap opera in there, and it’s really not,” Moore said. “Guys are working hard. Ryan has been a great addition to the room, as well as David. They both bring a lot of things, so it’s been a great experience.”

So how early is too early to start focusing on a position battle? Well, in the age of Twitter and the 24/7 news cycle, it’s never too early, really. It certainly got attention in the off-season, even as players are trying to get a handle on Mike Sherman and Joe Philbin’s offense. Garrard, a Pro Bowl selection in 2009, said that he won’t be stopping to dwell on where he stands during this summer.

“Unless somebody tells me right now I’m the starter, I’m going to keep plugging away and keep giving them every reason to want to make me the starter,” said Garrard, who was in a similar position last off-season in Jacksonville. “That’s just how I do it.”

By adding Tannehill, a top-10 pick, the dynamic in the Dolphins’ quarterback meeting room changed, creating an even more wide-open competition for the starting spot. Most have assumed, given Tannehill’s relative inexperience at Texas A&M, that the Dolphins will choose to sit him, waiting until he has a better handle on the speed of the pro game. In the context of a quarterback competition, this could alleviate some of the burden that comes with being a first-round quarterback.

Tannehill said that being drafted so high won’t affect his approach in the short term.

“No, just go out and let it rip,” Tannehill said. “Competition is a great thing. It makes each position better, the more competition you have on a team. I’m just going out there every day and trying to compete.”

All of the focus, much of it media and fan-driven, can be the perfect recipe for unwanted distractions. It’s up to each individual to decide whether he prefers to subject himself to the constant analysis or avoid it altogether.

That’s the route Garrard said he has opted for–a complete embargo on quarterback-related hearsay. The only problem is not everyone at home has been on board.

“I can’t always get my wife to stay away from it,” Garrard joked. “It’s cool, though. (The media) have to have something to talk about.